The Birthday Gift
by LitGirl87
Summary: Oneshot. On Jackie's birthday she starts to truly understand the differences between Kelso and Hyde, and that you don't always have to say I love you out loud. JH


**A/N: The writers of T7S could have put so much more effort in to developing the Jackie/Hyde relationship. This missing scene takes place during season 5 in the episode "Whole Lotta Love" between Jackie finding out why Kelso really gave her that pink sweater and Hyde giving her his Zepplin tee. Rated T for language and some adult content. Please forgive any formatting errors, this is my first fanfic and I can't tell if I uploaded right.**_**  
**_

_**The Birthday Gift**_

"_Michael, why did you buy me this sweater?"_

"_Alright, its time to come clean. I STOLE the sweater!"_

"_Fine, you know what, forget it! I don't want it, so just take it!"_

Jackie hurried across the Foreman's driveway, pulling Steven's jean jacket tighter around her shoulders to cover the fact that she wore only a silky pink camisole. She couldn't believe what had just been revealed in the basement. Couldn't believe how much it hurt to know that Michael Kelso, her once upon a time true love, had been on the verge of dumping her the night after she… She had to stop thinking about it. It was just another item on the list of ways that Michael had deceived her. She was Jackie Burkhart, she would not be insecure!

She started to cheer up as she continued toward her house by thinking of what a jerk Michael was. His opinion didn't matter at all. He was a cheating, lying, run away to California… dumbass! He lit himself on fire and glued himself to things. He wouldn't know a good thing if it slapped him in the face. The best part of their relationship was that it ended with her in Steven's arms. _ At least __he__ tells me the truth. And today he was protecting me from Michael!_ A smile burst on to Jackie's face as she opened the front door of her empty house and kicked off her shoes. She knew he would deny it to the grave but Steven's actions today were proof of his growing affection. She settled on the couch and closed her eyes, snuggling deeper in his coat and allowing the lingering smell of him to soothe away her remaining hurt. _Even when I was with Michael, Steven was the one who made everything right._ She should have known then that he was the one, but she was too wrapped up in herself. It was probably for the best. They wouldn't have lasted longer than a week when they were kids. He was still too raw from being abandoned both emotionally and physically. And she was too concerned with trying to be the perfect little doll that mommy and daddy would cherish. They wouldn't have seen how much they had in common. How much they could help each other. But they had it now, and that was what counted.

Plus, it didn't hurt that he was totally hot. The way Steven made her feel was a thousand times more intense than anything she and Michael had shared, and they hadn't even done it. _Yet. And not for lack of trying._ Jackie subconsciously began to run her fingers across her skin, wondering what it would be like to have Steven caressing her without any interruptions.

BRIIIING!! Jackie startled when she heard the phone. Sighing, she abandoned her pleasant thoughts of Steven and trudged to the kitchen, wondering who on earth would be calling now. Both her parents were away so it couldn't be their friends, and Donna was basically under house arrest for getting engaged. Already annoyed, she lifted the receiver.

"Hello?" Jackie tried to put as much bitch as possible into her voice in hopes of keeping the call under 2 minutes.

"Hey, Jackie." Her entire attitude changed the instant she recognized his voice, and she couldn't stop the fluttery feeling in her stomach.

"Hi, Steven. You're calling to check up on me."

A pause. "No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm not."

"_Yes_, you are."

"_No_, I'm not."

"Then just what are you calling me for, Steven?"

Another pause. "I'm calling to… check up on my jacket. Yeah, the jacket."

"_Just_ the jacket, Steven?" She grinned, knowing she had him when he let out an aggravated sigh.

"Fine! And you." He grumbled. Then his voice gentled. "How are you, Jackie?" She knew it was stupid but she couldn't help the way her chest tightened at the sweet tone of his words. _He cares about me._

"I'll be okay. I just… I thought the sweater was his way of trying to apologize." She took a deep breath before continuing. "And then finding out that he had wanted to break up with me right after I gave him my virgini…" She trailed off embarrassed, realizing that Steven probably didn't want to hear about her and Michael's first time. There was a long pause, and when Steven next spoke it was totally Zen.

"Can you come back to Foreman's?" She waited a moment to see if he would elaborate before she answered in like.

"That's cool."

ooooooooooooooooo

Hyde paced the in front of the basement couch waiting for Jackie to arrive. He should have thought before exposing one of Kelso's many lies but the moron had been sitting there grinning so smugly, thinking his half-brained plan to get Jackie back was going to work. Before he even realized what he had said Jackie was stripping off the sweater and storming out the door. Which would have been just fine, except he heard the slight waver in her voice when she told Kelso she didn't want his gift. _She shouldn't care about him anymore. It's not my problem if she can't get over him._ But that wasn't stopping the guilt of having told her the first boy she loved was using her for sex.

Not to mention the fact that he had, in effect, ruined the only birthday gift she had gotten. Her parents were gone as usual so they couldn't have given her anything. And she hadn't even told him she was turning seventeen. _It was just a sweater, a stupid pink sweater. _ He shouldn't have let Kelso irk him enough to make her throw it away. Hopefully, the gift that was sitting on his bed now would make up for that. And seeing her smile when she realized what he had done, and what the present meant, wouldn't be so bad either.

He heard the basement door shut, and turned to watch Jackie slide off his jacket and replace it on top of the record player. He was a little disappointed she had changed out of the slinky pink number that had been hiding under the sweater, but she still look sexy as hell in her red top. _Focus, man. She didn't come here for that._ He hesitated for a moment then held out his hand for her to take. She gave him a tiny smile, took his hand, and followed him to sit on the couch.

Now that she was here, he didn't know where to begin. And she was staring at him expectantly.

"Look, Jackie. I um…" _Fuck, this is hard._ "I shouldn't have told you about Kelso like that. I just wanted to burn him." _I didn't mean to burn you._ He didn't say it aloud, but it felt like she heard when a grin started to appear on her face.

"It's ok, Steven. I know you were just jealous." Crap, that wasn't what he wanted her to think.

"I wasn't jealous. I don't get jealous. I just don't like it when he's all over you." Her grin got even wider. "Or when he tries to manipulate you." _Damn, that just made it worse._ She was looking at him like she had on Veteran's Day after he punched out her sleazy date. "Stop it, Jackie."

She rolled her eyes before snuggling up next to him, and without even thinking Hyde put his arm around her and pulled her closer. He enjoyed knowing he could comfort her like this, and it went a long way toward easing his nerves about Kelso. Even when they were together, she had always run into _his_ arms. If she did still have feelings for the idiot, at least Hyde had this over him.

"Steven?" _Should've known the silence wouldn't last._ Hyde grunted to let her know he was listening. "I don't care about Michael anymore." It was a little creepy how she knew what was running through his head.

"That's cool."

"I mean it, Steven. I was upset because… I don't have many good memories of Michael. That was one of them, and now it's gone."

He felt her turn to face him more fully, waiting for his reaction. Hyde understood all too well what it was like to try and hold on to a few good moments with someone you thought you loved, who was supposed to love you. But he didn't know how to put that in to words. So he leaned forward and kissed her, and hoped that she really could read his mind to hear all the things he couldn't say.

ooooooooooooooooo

Jackie sat on the couch, impatiently waiting for Steven to return from doing whatever it was he absolutely had to do in his room. That first kiss, like most of their kisses, had escalated quickly. Steven had fused his mouth to hers, telling her without words that he understood everything until she moaned. Then he slowly nibbled and sucked his was down her neck, making her shiver while gently pressing her backwards. She didn't mind at all that she was lying on the ratty old couch because he was on top of her, his hands buried in her hair while he rocked his hips against hers. It was sweet torture to be pinned beneath him like that. There were too many clothes in the way- she felt like she was on fire and wanted so much more. So she had pulled back slightly and asked if they should go to his room. He had frozen for a moment, eyes glazing over, before he pounced on her, groaning and attacking her lips. But, just as suddenly as he began, he stopped and told her to wait for a minute because there was something he had to do.

_What's so important that it couldn't wait until after? I mean, he wants to, doesn't he? He's probably just nervous or… cleaning up or something. Great, now I'm getting nervous._ Before she could work herself up any further, Jackie heard Steven coming back from his room. Suddenly too filled with butterflies to face him, she kept her eyes on the television.

"Jackie, Happy Birthday." She turned to see him looking down at her with a slight smile. Holding out a brightly wrapped package. With a bow. The man who thought buying a girl gifts was giving in to a global marketing conspiracy had gotten her a birthday present. It didn't even matter what was inside. Her entire face lit up, and her heart melted. _I love you too, Steven Hyde._


End file.
